Americans United - religion and footballhttps://www.au.org/tags/religion-and-football
enOffside And Out Of Boundshttps://www.au.org/church-state/november-2016-church-state/featured/offside-and-out-of-bounds
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Frank McIntire wasn’t looking to hear religious sermons when he attended football games at Haralson County High School in Georgia. But that is exactly what he experienced for six season’s worth of Friday nights – courtesy of clergy-led prayers that echoed from the stadium loudspeaker.</p>
<p>“[My wife Sarah and I] felt it was going a little too far,” McIntire told <em>Church &amp; State </em>in 2012. “When the preacher said things like, ‘Thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus down to die for our sins,’ now it’s a sermon. I believe people have the right to pray but there are guidelines under the law.”</p>
<p>For more than 50 years, Haralson High home football games began with official invocations, and for at least 15 years an official team chaplain led students in pregame prayer in addition to praying over the loudspeaker. Those facts didn’t sit well with McIntire, whose son, Scott, was a member of the football team.</p>
<p>Initially McIntire tried to resolve these clear constitutional violations without the help of attorneys, but when that proved impossible, he turned to Americans United and its allies. </p>
<p>Thanks to complaints from AU and another group, Haralson High’s decades­­­-long prayer practice came to an end in September 2012. Although Am­er­icans United earned a victory in that case four years ago, the group continues to receive a regular stream of complaints of instances in which religion permeates public-school athletic programs.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court struck down school-sponsored, coercive forms of prayer in public schools 54 years ago. There’s no exception for coaches, but some of them simply aren’t following these rulings. </p>
<p>To give some idea of how common this problem is, in a space of just five weeks in April and May of this year, Am­ericans United sent complaints to six different public high schools and colleges regarding pray­ers at football games.</p>
<p>Many of those complaints involved prayers being recited over loudspeakers before contests, a puzzling development given the Supreme Court’s long line of rulings against this type of activity. As a result, few schools would dare attempt such brazen coercive prayer during the school day in 2016. And yet, it seems this clear-cut legal precedent gets tossed aside in the context of sports.</p>
<p>Since football is like a religion in some areas of the United States, it’s probably not surprising that actual religion is a part of many football contests. In fact, one of the Religious Right’s favorite martyrs is a former high school assistant coach who lost his job because he refused to separate faith and football.</p>
<p>Joe Kennedy, a then-assistant coach at Bremerton High School in Washington, was placed on administrative leave in November 2015 after he refused to stop praying with players from both teams on the 50-yard line at the end of school football games. These midfield prayer sessions began in 2008 but didn’t make headlines until September of 2015, when school Superintendent Aaron Leavell wrote Kennedy a letter explaining that the coach engaged in two “problematic practices”: pregame prayer and post­game “inspirational talks.”</p>
<p>Leavell informed Kennedy that he was willing to provide Kennedy with a private prayer location “not observable to students or the public” as long as the coach’s future “talks with students … [do] not include religious expression, including prayer.”</p>
<p>Kennedy agreed – at first. But after his story became public, it attracted the attention of the Religious Right, and attorneys at the Texas-based First Liberty Institute may have persuaded Kennedy to go back to his old ways after a few weeks of abiding by school rules. On Oct. 16, 2015, Kennedy returned to mid-field after a game and took a knee for a prayer. He was suspended soon after and later filed a lawsuit. </p>
<p>Kennedy sought a preliminary injunction ordering the school district to hire him as a coach and to allow him to pray with players. In September, how­ever, U.S. District Judge Ron­ald B. Leighton denied that order. Richard B. Katskee, legal director of Americans United, said in a media statement that the court made the right call in the case of <em>Kennedy v. Bremerton School District</em>.</p>
<p>“The law in this area has been settled for a long time,” Katskee said. “Kennedy wants to pray with students, but that’s a clear violation of parental rights. Parents get to decide what religion, if any, their children are exposed to, and no public school official may interfere in that relationship.”</p>
<p>Liberty Institute argues that Ken­nedy didn’t do anything wrong because he simply prayed on his own and students joined him of their own accord. Therefore, Liberty claimed, there was no coercion on the part of a public school official. In fact, a Supreme Court ruling from 2000, <em>Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe</em>, essentially rejects that argument. In the 6-3 ruling, the high court said the Santa Fe, Texas, Independent School District’s policy of letting students vote whether or not to have non-sectarian prayers before football games, then allowing students to lead those prayers, was unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Liberty Institute’s argument has failed in the past. In 2008, Katskee litigated a very similar case in New Jersey, where a football coach named Marcus Borden at East Brunswick High School insisted he had a right to pray with players. Not everyone wanted to take part, and players who objected were told to wait in the locker room.</p>
<p>Americans United represented the school district in the <em>Borden v. School District of the Township of East Bruns­wick </em>case and won. A federal appeals court ruled that Borden’s actions crossed the line.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Kennedy’s lawsuit continues to generate attention, and he is quickly becoming another Religious Right martyr. Kennedy spoke during the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in September, and during an October campaign rally that Kennedy attended, Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump sided with the football coach.</p>
<p>“[What happened to you was] absolutely outrageous,” Trump said. “I think it’s outrageous. I think it’s very, very sad and outrageous.” </p>
<p>When it comes to college football, where programs sometimes generate millions of dollars in revenue for their schools, teams often have free rein to operate.</p>
<p>This sometimes means teams are unchecked when they engage in coercive prayers. Earlier this year, for example, Americans United sent a complaint to a public university in the Deep South because its football team sponsored pre-game prayers broadcast over a loudspeaker by a Chris­tian minister. (Details have been omitted from the description of this case because Americans United is trying to resolve the matter outside of court.)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are some very high-profile coaches at public colleges who frequently attempt to incorporate their religious views into their programs. Take Dabo Swinney, head coach at Clemson University, a public institution in South Carolina.</p>
<p>Swinney earns more than $5 million per year for a reason: He is very good at his job, having gone 14-1 last season and narrowly missing out on a national championship. But off the field, the Clemson coach has a history of proselytizing to his players. In 2014, he was accused of bombarding his team with religious activities, including official team prayers and Bible study, and was accused of busing his players to local churches for Sunday services.</p>
<p>None of that is surprising. When Swinney accepted the job in 2008, he remarked, “I hope people will really listen to me when I tell them what my secret to success is, and that is to put your eyes on the Lord in everything you do, and believe in yourself, and don’t quit.” </p>
<p>The Clemson team was also accused of using taxpayer dollars to employ an official team chaplain, a former player named James Trapp. But a school official told the Columbia <em>State</em> that Trapp is not an employee. Instead, he is listed as campus director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the team media guide calls him a “Volunteer Team Advisor.”</p>
<p>Although Americans United receives more complaints about alleged constitutional violations by public school football teams than in any other sport, by no means are these problems limited to the gridiron. For example, Americans United is involved in a case in which a softball coach at a public high school in the Mid­west has a habit of leading her team in pregame pray­ers. Players who decline to participate find themselves riding the bench. (Again, details have been omitted due to the ongoing nature of the situation.)</p>
<p>There are problems with basketball teams, too. When Iowa State University hired Steve Prohm to coach its men’s team last year, he told the <em>Des Moines Register </em>that he intended to pray with his new team.</p>
<p>“I’ll ask them if they have prayer requests,” Prohm said in 2015. “It’s not something you’re beating over their head; you want to give them a foundation, so when they leave Ames, it’s not foreign to them when they raise their kids, or have a wife – that they have a strong foundation and a strong faith.”</p>
<p>It’s clear that Prohm views his job as a basketball coach as a ministry, too. The <em>Register </em>noted that he uses Bible verses, in addition to prayer, to “motivate his players.” In a letter to the editor of the <em>Register</em>, retired Iowa State journalism professor Dick Haws raised concerns about the then-new coach, noting that players may feel pressured to participate in the prayer practice.</p>
<p>“Prohm’s basketball players are impressionable young men, many still teenagers. They want to keep that scholarship, they want to play that basketball, they want to get that good recommendation from the coach. So, when coach asks them about prayer, they’ll know there’s only one right answer,” Haws wrote.</p>
<p>And according to Haws, this wasn’t the first time Prohm sought to proselytize on the job.</p>
<p>“If Prohm holds to form, he’ll pick a particular book of the Bible to highlight here at Iowa State. That’s what he did at Murray State,” Haws wrote. “Somebody sent me an article that told of his emphasis on the Book of Nehemiah for the Murray State Racers in 2013. The Bible verse he selected was ‘Stay on the wall. Do not be distracted. There is important work to be done.’ The team’s practice T-shirts read, ‘Stay on the wall.’”</p>
<p>It’s important to remember that infusing athletics with religion can have real consequences for athletes – beyond simply making non-participants feel ostracized. This is particularly true when it comes to college sports. Last year, former Delaware State University (DSU) volleyball player Natalia Mendieta filed a lawsuit against former volleyball coach LaKisya Killings­worth and former DSU athletic director Can­dy Young because she alleged­ly lost her scholarship after refusing to attend church and other religious activities.</p>
<p>In the lawsuit, Mendieta asserted that Killingsworth required her players to attend services at Calvary Assembly of God, a Pentecostal congregation affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Mendieta, who is Catholic, said she attended services initially out of fear of punishment.</p>
<p>“Ms. Mendieta believed that her relationship with Coach Killingsworth would suffer if she refused to attend the coach’s church and, if she did, she would receive less playing time and her scholarship might not be renewed for the following year,” the lawsuit said.</p>
<p>Ultimately the relationship did suffer. Killingsworth reportedly told students she “felt they all needed to have more God and Jesus in their lives.” She organized team prayers before games, handed out Bibles, and required students to attend Bible studies in addition to church services. The legal complaint also says that she “strongly encouraged” players to join the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Although Mendieta initially complied with the coach’s orders, she says she became increasingly uncomfortable attending Pentecostal services. And she wasn’t alone: One player reportedly left the team in response to the constant proselytization.</p>
<p>Mendieta said she eventually wrote her coach a letter in March 2014 informing her that she would no longer attend Calvary. And that, she says, is when the trouble started. According to the lawsuit, which is ongoing, Kil­lings­worth told Mendieta she didn’t care which church Mendieta attended and told the team church attendance and Bible studies were now optional. Nonetheless, the coach took to adding “church” to the team’s official calendar.</p>
<p>Mendieta also asserted that after her letter, Killingsworth singled her out for criticism. Then, when she and a few other players missed a curfew by a few minutes in the fall of 2014, Killingsworth informed Mendieta that she had lost her scholarship. The other players, however, kept theirs.</p>
<p>Mendieta said in her legal filing that she depended on the scholarship to pay for her education. When she lost that scholarship, she said it was like losing her job.</p>
<p>“[The coach] controls whether I stay in school or not,” Mendieta told WPVI, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia. “The only way that I could afford school was through my scholarship. So technically, volleyball was my job.”</p>
<p>These anecdotes are only a sampling of the many, many instances in which public-school athletes were subjected to unconstitutional proselytizing. Ian Smith, an attorney with Americans United who handles many of these cases, said the nature of sports as an activity tempts far-right fundamentalists to defy the Constitution in a way that other school activities don’t.</p>
<p>“I think it is because many see sports as a communal and cultural acti­vity, Smith told <em>Church &amp; State</em>. “Coaches don’t just impart skills for a game, they teach their charges to ‘become adults,’ and in many places being an adult member of the community is equated with participation in organized religion.”</p>
<p>Added Smith, “The same goes for the games. If it is a community activity and the community strongly subscribes to a particular religion, then it is almost reflexive to include acknowledgement of the community’s dominant religion. And while that is fine for private sporting events, public school sports are government activities and endorsement of religion at those activities is unconstitutional.” </p>
</div></div><a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><h3 >The Supreme Court Struck Down Coercive Forms Of Public School Prayer 54 Years Ago, But Some Coaches Are Playing By Their Own&nbsp;Rules</h3><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Featured</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-12435" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span></div></div>Tue, 01 Nov 2016 09:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz12437 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/november-2016-church-state/featured/offside-and-out-of-bounds#commentsFederal Court Denies Public School Coach’s Request To Pray With Students https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/federal-court-denies-public-school-coach-s-request-to-pray-with-students
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A federal court today rejected a motion by a public high school football coach in Bremerton, Wash., who sought the right to pray with students after games.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Joe Kennedy, an assistant coach at Bremerton High School, was placed on administrative leave last year after he refused to stop praying on the 50-yard line at the end of the school football games. He then decided not to reapply to be a coach this year. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Kennedy filed a lawsuit backed by First Liberty Institute, a Religious Right legal group. He sought a preliminary injunction ordering the school district to hire him as a coach and to allow him to pray with players. U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton denied that order today.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Richard B. Katskee, legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the court made the right call in <em style="">Kennedy v. Bremerton School District</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">“The law in this area has been settled for a long time,” Katskee said. “Kennedy wants to pray with students, but that’s a clear violation of parental rights. Parents get to decide what religion, if any, their children are exposed to, and no public school official may interfere in that relationship.”</span></p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joe-kennedy">Joe Kennedy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bremerton-high-school">Bremerton High School</a></span></div></div><h3 >Bremerton High School Assistant Football Coach Joe Kennedy Loses Round In&nbsp;Court</h3>Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:24:21 +0000Timothy Ritz12351 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/federal-court-denies-public-school-coach-s-request-to-pray-with-students#commentsWash. High School Coach Claims God Approves Prayershttps://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/wash-high-school-coach-claims-god-approves
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p align="JUSTIFY">A football coach at a Bremerton, Wash., high school is on paid leave after refusing to end his public post-game prayers. Joseph Kennedy has held the prayers on the 50-yard line since 2008 and claims he has “an agreement with God” to continue them.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">In October, the Bremerton School District ordered Ken­nedy to stop the public display as well as his practice of holding pre-game locker room prayers. The coach agreed to the latter, but said his post-game prayers are private and that the demand to end them violated his religious freedom.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">Q13Fox, a local news channel, reported that district officials offered to help Kennedy find a private place to pray after games. The coach refused to accept the accommodation and subsequently threatened to file suit against the district with the assistance of the Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas-based Religious Right group.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">“The school district violated federal law by denying Coach Kennedy’s request for religious accommodation. Their violation of the law cannot go unanswered. We are committed to protecting Coach Kennedy’s right to religious freedom,” said Michael Berry, one of Kennedy’s attorneys.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">According to <em>The Seattle Times</em>, some Bremerton High School students object to Kennedy’s actions; they recently invited local Satanists to deliver an invocation at a football game.</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">AU Bulletin</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/use-school-buildings-religious-groups-during-non-school-hours">Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11564" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state">
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<h4>Despite Sketchy Schools And Disappointing Results, Washington, D.C.’s Private School Voucher Plan Continues To Stumble Along</h4> </div>
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<h4>Religious Right Claims Of A ‘War On Christmas’ Are Thinner Than Cheap Wrapping Paper</h4> </div>
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<h4>Prodded By Religious Right Extremists, State Officials Are Increasingly Decimating Reproductive Care Options For Women</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/featured/au-in-action">AU in Action</a></h3>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/viewpoint/holy-hypocrites-the-false-piety-of-public-prayer">Holy Hypocrites: The False Piety Of Public Prayer</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/dc-church-claims-bike-lane-would-violate">D.C. Church Claims Bike Lane Would Violate Religious Freedom</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/federal-appeals-court-reinstates-case">Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Case Challenging Surveillance Of Muslims </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/maine-education-official-under-fire-for-past">Maine Education Official Under Fire For Past Pro-Creationism Remarks</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-s-efforts-to-intervene-in-ark-park-case">AU’s Efforts To Intervene In ‘Ark Park’ Case Denied By Court</a></span> </div></li>
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<ul class="cs-department-list"> <li class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/perspective/buzzed-over-coffee-cup-flap-an-opening-shot-from">Buzzed Over Coffee: Cup Flap An Opening Shot From The Religious Right</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/editorial/science-lesson-celebrating-10-years-of-the-dover">Science Lesson: Celebrating 10 Years Of The Dover Decision</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/supreme-court-won-t-hear-challenge-to">Supreme Court Won’t Hear Challenge To Vaccination Law</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/court-rules-boston-archdiocese-may-close-church">Court Rules Boston Archdiocese May Close Church</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/wash-high-school-coach-claims-god-approves">Wash. High School Coach Claims God Approves Prayers</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/anti-discrimination-measure-defeated-in-houston">Anti-Discrimination Measure Defeated In Houston</a></span> </div></li>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football">football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/washington">Washington</a></span></div></div>Tue, 01 Dec 2015 13:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11574 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/wash-high-school-coach-claims-god-approves#commentsAU Tells Utah University To End Classes In LDS Faithhttps://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-tells-utah-university-to-end-classes-in-lds
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p align="JUSTIFY">Americans United has asked the University of Utah to end a supposedly voluntary religious class taught by two assistant coaches with the school’s football team.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">Thanks to a media report, Americans United learned that Morgan Scalley, the Utes’ safeties and special-teams coach, and Sione Pouha, a student assistant who played in the NFL, have been leading classes on the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).</p><p align="JUSTIFY">In its October 19 letter, AU explained that the course could coerce football players at the public school to participate in religious activities, asserting that the “need for religious neutrality is, moreover, especially strong when it comes to the coaches and staff of the college football team: Student athletes rely on their coaches for playing time, scholarships and the potential opportunity to become a professional athlete.”</p><p align="JUSTIFY">The University Office of General Counsel denied any constitutional issues with the course, claiming there is no problem with “a group of LDS students and coaches to voluntarily participate in a religious instruction activity.”</p><p align="JUSTIFY">The school’s attorneys added, “At the present time, we have no reason to believe this was an activity sponsored by the university or that there was any coercion of the students to participate. These individuals have the constitutional right to freely exercise their religion, and it would be illegal for the University to interfere with that activity.”</p><p align="JUSTIFY">But Americans United Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser did not buy that argument.</p><p align="JUSTIFY">“The classes are being taught by a member of the coaching staff, on the practice field or in team meeting rooms, often immediately after practice,” Luchenitser told the <em>Salt Lake</em> <em>Tribune</em>. “That communicates to players that the classes are sponsored and endorsed by the University of Utah. The religious classes thus place the university’s stamp of approval on a particular religious faith. When a coach teaches a religious class on school property in conjunction with practice, team members will naturally think that taking part in the class will make the coach think more favorably of them and will feel pressure to join the instruction.”</p><p align="JUSTIFY">Doug Andersen, a spokesman for the LDS Church, told the <em>Tribune </em>that the class has been taught at the school for 11 years and led by Terry Baker for all but one. Baker is an instructor with the LDS Institute and a former college athlete who is not employed by the football team. </p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/use-school-buildings-religious-groups-during-non-school-hours">Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11564" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">December</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2015</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h4>Despite Sketchy Schools And Disappointing Results, Washington, D.C.’s Private School Voucher Plan Continues To Stumble Along</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/featured/bogus-battle">Bogus Battle</a></h3>
<h4>Religious Right Claims Of A ‘War On Christmas’ Are Thinner Than Cheap Wrapping Paper</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/featured/access-denied">Access Denied</a></h3>
<h4>Prodded By Religious Right Extremists, State Officials Are Increasingly Decimating Reproductive Care Options For Women</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/featured/au-in-action">AU in Action</a></h3>
<h4>Staff Members And Activists Support Church-State Separation</h4> </div>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/viewpoint/holy-hypocrites-the-false-piety-of-public-prayer">Holy Hypocrites: The False Piety Of Public Prayer</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-tells-utah-university-to-end-classes-in-lds">AU Tells Utah University To End Classes In LDS Faith</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/chastity-expert-invited-to-speak-to-students">‘Chastity’ Expert Invited To Speak To Students In El Paso Public Schools</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/iowa-town-officials-vote-to-remove-cross-from">Iowa Town Officials Vote To Remove Cross From Park</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/dc-church-claims-bike-lane-would-violate">D.C. Church Claims Bike Lane Would Violate Religious Freedom</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/federal-appeals-court-reinstates-case">Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Case Challenging Surveillance Of Muslims </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/maine-education-official-under-fire-for-past">Maine Education Official Under Fire For Past Pro-Creationism Remarks</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-s-efforts-to-intervene-in-ark-park-case">AU’s Efforts To Intervene In ‘Ark Park’ Case Denied By Court</a></span> </div></li>
</ul></div><div class="cs-department" id="section-perspective"> <h3>Perspective</h3>
<ul class="cs-department-list"> <li class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/perspective/buzzed-over-coffee-cup-flap-an-opening-shot-from">Buzzed Over Coffee: Cup Flap An Opening Shot From The Religious Right</a></span> </div></li>
</ul></div><div class="cs-department" id="section-editorial"> <h3>Editorial</h3>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/december-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/supreme-court-won-t-hear-challenge-to">Supreme Court Won’t Hear Challenge To Vaccination Law</a></span> </div></li>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormon-church">Mormon Church</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/university-of-utah">University of Utah</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/utah">Utah</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span></div></div>Tue, 01 Dec 2015 13:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11585 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-tells-utah-university-to-end-classes-in-lds#commentsGa. High School Drops Official Pre-Game Prayer After Americans United Complainthttps://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/ga-high-school-drops-official-pre-game-prayer
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Officials at a Georgia high school agreed to stop reciting prayers over loudspeakers before football games thanks to a complaint from Americans United, but a new controversy has arisen in the wake of this decision.</p><p>West Laurens High School in Dexter agreed to replace its pre-game prayer with a moment of silence. But before a game on Aug. 21, many attendees interrupted the moment of silence by reciting the Lord’s Prayer in unison and then singing “Amazing Grace,” which was played by the school marching band.</p><p>In response, attorneys with Americans United sent a follow-up letter to the Laurens County School Board asking it to ensure that the school stops using religious hymns at football games and prevents its employees from actively promoting or facilitating the recitation of prayers during games.</p><p>AU received an anonymous tip that the school band’s director organized a group of audience members to recite the Lord’s Prayer, and a news report said that the band director reached out to local churches and requested that church members attend the game to support his religious cause.</p><p>In other news regarding religion mixing with high school football in Georgia, a video posted recently on YouTube showed a group of football players from Villa Rica High School being baptized by a local church. The video, taken at the school before football practice, was posted by First Baptist Villa Rica.</p><p>“We had the privilege of baptizing a bunch of football players and a coach on the field of Villa Rica High School! We did this right before practice! Take a look and see how God is STILL in our schools!” read the caption accompanying the video.</p><p>The Carroll County School District said Sept. 1 that it is investigating the incident, Religion News Service reported.</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-music">Religious Music</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/use-school-buildings-religious-groups-during-non-school-hours">Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11435" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/georgia">Georgia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span></div></div>Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:32:33 +0000Timothy Ritz11457 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/ga-high-school-drops-official-pre-game-prayer#commentsTexas Supreme Court Hears Cheerleaders Casehttps://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/texas-supreme-court-hears-cheerleaders-case
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Americans United, the ACLU and the ACLU of Texas have urged the Texas Supreme Court to rule against a group of public school cheerleaders seeking the right to display Bible verses at football games. The groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief in July, arguing that the Kountze Independent School District should be able to prevent official representatives from endorsing religion at school events.</p><p>The signs displayed messages like “But thanks be to God, which gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” and “If God be for us who can be against us?” Lower state courts have ruled in favor of the cheerleaders, but the matter is before the state Supreme Court due to a dispute over attorneys’ fees.</p><p>The case is <em>Matthews v. Kountze Independent School District.</em></p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">AU Bulletin</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11349" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/aclu">ACLU</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-civil-liberties-union-aclu">American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-civil-liberties-union">American Civil Liberties Union</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas-aclu">Texas ACLU</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cheerleaders">cheerleaders</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-at-athletic-events">prayer at athletic events</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span></div></div>Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:15:20 +0000Timothy Ritz11364 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/texas-supreme-court-hears-cheerleaders-case#commentsGroups Say First Amendment Does Not Permit Texas Public School Cheerleaders To Display Religious Signshttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/groups-say-first-amendment-does-not-permit-texas-public-school-cheerleaders-to
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><div style="margin:0;"><div>A Texas public school should be required to prevent cheerleaders from displaying large banners with Bible verses on the field during football games, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and its allies have advised a state court.</div><div> </div><div>In <a href="https://www.au.org/files/Matthews%20v%20%20Kountze%20ISD%20FILED.pdf" target="_blank">a friend-of-the-court brief</a> filed yesterday in <em>Matthews v. Kountze Independent School District</em>, Americans United, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and other religious and civil liberties groups urged the Texas Supreme Court to find that religious banners displayed by cheerleaders at public school football games violate the First Amendment.</div><div> </div><div>“High school football is an integral part of communities in Texas,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Everyone should feel welcome at those events, particularly when a public school is involved. But that cannot happen when representatives of the school, such as cheerleaders, display prominent signs with Bible verses.”</div><div>The legal challenge involves cheerleaders at Kountze High School who used banners with Bible verses to motivate the football team during games. School administrators ordered the practice stopped in September 2012 in response to an anonymous complaint. </div><div> </div><div>Examples of signs included: “But thanks be to God, which gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” and “If God be for us who can be against us?”</div><div> </div><div>After the school directed the cheerleaders to stop displaying the banners, they filed a lawsuit in a state court, which found in favor of the students. In October 2012, the trial court said the cheerleaders could display religious messages for the rest of the season. In April 2013, the school district adopted a policy allowing the cheerleaders to deliver religious messages at football games. Although it was no longer a contested issue, the trial court later ruled that the banners did not violate the First Amendment. Because the trial court did not dismiss the cheerleaders’ claim for attorney’s fees, however, the school district appealed.</div><div> </div><div>In May, 2014, the Court of Appeals of Texas dismissed all appeals related to the substantive issues of the case. Attorneys for the cheerleaders appealed, however, and the matter is now before the Texas Supreme Court.</div><div> </div><div>The cheerleaders have argued that their banners are private speech that should be protected because the large signs are not made by school officials – an argument the brief rejects.</div><div> </div><div>“The mere fact that KISD’s run-through banners are initially prepared by the KHS cheerleading squad does not insulate them from Establishment Clause scrutiny,” asserts the brief. “The banners are prepared at the behest of school officials, as part of the squad’s official duties. School officials review and approve banners before they are displayed at football games, and the District gives the cheerleaders special access to the field to unfurl and present the banners to the crowd. The Bible verses painted on the banners are, therefore, attributable to the District – a fact that KISD does not dispute.” </div><div> </div><div>Said Americans United Senior Litigation Counsel Gregory M. Lipper: “Time and time again, courts have made clear that parents – not public schools or their sports teams – are responsible for the religious instruction of children. When students are part of a captive audience at a high school football game, school-sponsored religious messages are out of bounds.”</div><div> </div><div>The brief was written by Rebecca L. Robertson of the ACLU of Texas, along with Daniel Mach and Heather L. Weaver of the ACLU. AU’s Lipper provided input.</div><div> </div><div>Other organizations signing the brief are: the Anti-Defamation League, the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Hindu American Foundation and the Sikh Coalition.</div></div><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/student-religious-clubs">Student Religious Clubs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cheerleaders">cheerleaders</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/prayer-at-athletic-events">prayer at athletic events</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/athletes">athletes</a></span></div></div><h3 >Texas Supreme Court Should Prohibit On-Field Bible Banners, Watchdog Organizations&nbsp;Say</h3>Thu, 23 Jul 2015 18:55:35 +0000Timothy Ritz11285 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/groups-say-first-amendment-does-not-permit-texas-public-school-cheerleaders-to#commentsEx-Congressman Blames School Football Injuries On Lack Of Official Prayerhttps://www.au.org/church-state/june-2015-church-state/people-events/ex-congressman-blames-school-football-injuries-on
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A former U.S. congressman has asserted that coercive school prayer used to keep high school football players free of serious injuries.</p><p>The comments were made by Allen West, who represented a Florida district for a single term from 2011-13. “Now, see, I remember growing up in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia,” West told a conservative crowd in Texas in April. “I went to Grady High School, and I played football and we didn’t have all this high-speed gear and everything like that. There was no such thing about ‘targeting.’ I mean, you were not a tough football player unless you did try to hit someone head-on.</p><p>“And even in high school, before every game at Grady Stadium, the pastor would come down and pray before every football game,” West continued. “I don’t remember catastrophic injuries. I don’t remember anyone getting carted off that field paralyzed.”</p><p>West, who is best known for spending 22 years in the U.S. Army before being forced to retire amid a scandal, seems to have a bit of a fuzzy memory. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down coercive public school prayer in its 1962 <em>Engel v. Vitale</em> decision. That means by the time West was playing football in the mid-and late 1970s, any instances of a pastor leading his team in prayer would have been unconstitutional.</p><p>West also seems unaware that <em>Engel</em> didn’t prohibit athletes from praying before games. While it did ban school-sponsored prayer, any student remains free to pray on his or her own or in groups provided no one is pressured to join in.</p><p>West is also wrong about the frequency of football injuries over time. Equipment improvements have actually reduced the number of injuries that result from playing the sport.</p><p>According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, 4.36 injuries occurred for every 1,000 high school football players in 2005-2006. That number is two times lower than the observed injury rate for high school football participants from 1995-1997.</p><p>Perhaps the reason West doesn’t remember a lot of players being “carted off that field paralyzed” is because of a 1976 rules change that made it illegal for a player “to make initial contact with the head and face while blocking and tackling,” according to a report by the American Football Coaches Association on catastrophic football injuries.</p><p>Critics maintain that West’s comments are just another Religious Right attempt to push religion in public schools.</p><p>“The reality is, West and his allies are just looking for any excuse to inject religion into public schools,” wrote Simon Brown, AU assistant director of communications, in a “Wall of Separation” blog post. “They want to see students indoctrinated in their narrow version of Christianity, and they will spin any yarn that could advance their theocratic agenda.”</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11140" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/allen-west">Allen West</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football">football</a></span></div></div>Mon, 01 Jun 2015 03:45:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11168 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/june-2015-church-state/people-events/ex-congressman-blames-school-football-injuries-on#commentsTears For Cheers: Georgians Lament School Limit On Cheerleader Preachinghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/tears-for-cheers-georgians-lament-school-limit-on-cheerleader-preaching
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It doesn&#039;t matter if it is a school official who made the sign or a student. It doesn&#039;t matter if most of the students like the signs or not. School-sponsored religion doesn&#039;t belong at football games or at any other official school events. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Last night, cheerleaders at Lakeview-Fort Olgethorpe (LFO) High School were more popular than ever.</p>
<p>According the <em><a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/sep/30/rally-lfo-cheerleaders-draws-huge-crowd/">Chattanooga Times Free Press</a></em>, more than 500 people showed up at a rally outside a Chik-fil-A Restaurant in Fort Olgethorpe, Ga., to support these young women who wanted to display signs with Bible verses at football games.</p>
<p>On Sept. 18, for example, the cheerleaders held up a huge banner with the words, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 3:14."</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/sep/29/cheerleaders-religious-signs-draw-fire/">Times Free Press</a> said, "The banners – the paper ones that football players crash through at the beginning of games – have been common sights in the school's football stadium since 2003."</p>
<p>After receiving a complaint, the school district banned the sectarian signs last week, issuing a statement that it would constitute "a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution for signs with Bible verses to be displayed on the football field."</p>
<p>Of course this very wise constitutional decision has outraged many in the community who have once again declared this an attack on students' free speech and religious liberty.</p>
<p>"Our Constitution does guarantee that our federal government will not establish a religion," said local youth pastor Jeremy Jones, one of the organizers of the rally. "It will also make sure that we are allowed to exercise it without interference from the government.</p>
<p>"That is what we need to fight for folks," Jones continued, adding that the cheerleaders have made the signs themselves and now "the government is telling them not to do it, and that is stopping our freedom of religion."</p>
<p>LFO senior cheerleader Taylor Guinn echoed the same sentiments.</p>
<p>"I'm sad and I'm angry about it, because we're being silenced for what we believe in," Guinn said. "It was heartbreaking to know that our school system is just conforming to the nonbelievers and letting them have their way when there's so many more people wanting the signs.</p>
<p>"Our freedom of speech and freedom of religion is being taken away," she said.</p>
<p>Local youth minister Brad Scott, who was LFO High's class president in 2004, told the newspaper that the "separation of church and state" has nothing to do with cheerleaders who are not "part of the state" and simply want to offer an inspirational message with signs they made on their own time.</p>
<p>We've heard it all before, and none are winning arguments.</p>
<p>While the cheerleaders may have made the signs themselves with their own money, that doesn't mean they have the right to display them anywhere they want at anytime. If they want to hold up their signs on their front lawns, no one has a problem with it. But when it's on school property during a school event, it becomes a different story.</p>
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court made it clear in <em><a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&amp;vol=000&amp;invol=99-62">Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe</a></em>, a comparable case to this one, that student-initiated, student-led prayer over a loud speaker at a high school football game implied the school endorsed these prayers and was therefore unconstitutional.</p>
<p>Writing for the court, Justice John Paul Stevens said allowing schools to adopt policies that purposefully or effectively impose the majority's religion on others "encourages divisiveness along religious lines and threatens [to coerce] those students not desiring to participate in the religious exercise."</p>
<p>In other words, it doesn't matter if it is a school official who made the sign or a student. It doesn't matter if most of the students like the signs or not. School-sponsored religion doesn't belong at football games or at any other official school events.</p>
<p>We encourage this school district to remember that its role is to remain neutral on all religious matters. No matter how unpopular that decision is, it's the only way to uphold our Constitution.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bible-verses-signs">Bible verses signs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cheerleaders">cheerleaders</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/football-prayer">football prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/fort-olgethorpe">Fort Olgethorpe</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/georgia">Georgia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lakeview-fort-olgethorpe-high-school">Lakeview-Fort Olgethorpe High School</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-football">religion and football</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/santa-fe-independent-school-dist-v-doe">Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe</a></span></div></div>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:01:54 +0000Sandhya Bathija2392 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/tears-for-cheers-georgians-lament-school-limit-on-cheerleader-preaching#comments